A CLIVIGER church has announced plans to expand - because brides getting married there have to make their way through the toilets before they go up the aisle.

Mount Zion Methodist Church, based at Walk Mill, Burnley Road, wants to build a 245sq metre extension, which includes a reception area, and better access for disab-led visitors.

The proposals, lodged by Alan Scholes, of the church’s leadership team, also include a new community room, and improved toilet facilities.

The church, established in 1878, said refurbishment would ‘have a distinct social benefit, without having any detrimental effect on the visual appearance of the buil-ding’.

A planning statement on behalf of the applicant, from Burnley-based agents Kirkwells, said: “The church suffers from poor accessibility due to significant level chan-ges, and has no access for disabled members of the church congregation.

“Problems have arisen in the past during functions at the church, where elderly relatives have struggled to get into church for weddings, and funerals, due to existing access. The church would also like to provide a much-needed main entrance reception area and community space.

“Due to the location of the existing entrance in the centre of the church, brides and bridesmaids attending weddings have had to enter the building through the back yard area, and the ladies’ toilets, in order to walk down the aisle in the centre of the church.”

The church, which currently draws 75 worshippers to its Sunday services, said it also catered for a number of midweek meetings, which were attracting ‘good attendance’.

It added: “The community space would be a space available for use by the residents of the village and not just the church congregation.”